Beggar on a Beach of Gold

Beggar on a Beach of Gold is the fourth album by Mike + the Mechanics, released on 6 March 1995. This album contains three singles: the No. 12 hit "Over My Shoulder", the No. 33 hit "A Beggar on a Beach of Gold", and the No. 51 single "Another Cup of Coffee".^[7] All three songs charted in Germany as well,^[8] and "Another Cup of Coffee" was also popular in Russia; "Over My Shoulder" was particularly successful in France, reaching No.9. The album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of 100,000 copies. Adrian Lee performed on this album as a session musician following his departure from the band, and this was drummer Peter Van Hooke's last album as an official member of the band as he left the band shortly after the album's release.

Beggar on a Beach of Gold
Studio album by Mike + The Mechanics
Released	6 March 1995
Recorded	1994–1995
Genre	Rock
Length	60:24
Label	Atlantic, Virgin
Producer	Mike Rutherford Christopher Neil
Mike + The Mechanics chronology
Word of Mouth (1991) Beggar on a Beach of Gold (1995) Hits (1996)
Singles from Beggar on a Beach of Gold
"Over My Shoulder" Released: 13 February 1995[1] "A Beggar on a Beach of Gold" Released: 5 June 1995[2] "Another Cup of Coffee" Released: 21 August 1995[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B[5]
Knoxville News Sentinel	[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Beggar on a Beach of Gold"	BA Robertson, Mike Rutherford	4:35
2.	"Another Cup of Coffee"	Christopher Neil, Rutherford	4:42
3.	"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (The Miracles cover)	Smokey Robinson	3:29
4.	"Mea Culpa"	Neil, Rutherford	6:20
5.	"Over My Shoulder"	Paul Carrack, Rutherford	3:37
6.	"Someone Always Hates Someone"	Neil, Rutherford	3:42
7.	"The Ghost of Sex and You"	Robertson, Rutherford	6:24
8.	"Web of Lies"	Carrack, Rutherford	5:38
9.	"Plain and Simple"	Robertson, Rutherford	3:59
10.	"Something to Believe In"	Neil, Rutherford	4:18
11.	"A House of Many Rooms"	Robertson, Rutherford	5:39
12.	"I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" (Stevie Wonder cover)	Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright	3:11
13.	"Going, Going... Home"	Neil, Rutherford	4:30
Total length:			60:24

Personnel

Mike + The Mechanics

• Mike Rutherford – keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, backing vocals
• Paul Carrack – lead vocals (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12), keyboards, backing vocals
• Paul Young – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 13), electric rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Peter Van Hooke – drums

Additional personnel

• Adrian Lee – keyboards
• BA Robertson – keyboards
• Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards
• Dale Newman – programming
• Clem Clempson – electric rhythm guitar, electric guitar
• Gary Wallis – drums
• David Frangioni – drum loop programming (3)
• Rich Mendelson – drum loop programming (3)
• Andy Newmark – drums (12)
• Pete Beachill – brass arrangements (13)
• Katie Kissoon – backing vocals (5)
• Tessa Niles – backing vocals (5)

Production

• Mike Rutherford – producer
• Christopher Neil – producer
• Paul Gomersall – engineer (1, 2, 4–11, 13)
• Nick Davis – remixing (1), recording (3, 12), mixing (3, 12)
• Mark Robinson – assistant engineer
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, ME).
• Mike Bowen – technical assistance
• Geoff Callingham – technical assistance
• Hills Archer Ink. – artwork
• David Scheinmann – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 139 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 25 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 78 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 21 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 4 Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] 20 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[17] 9

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 51 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 69

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 February 1995. p. 27.
2. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 3 June 1995. p. 35.
3. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 19 August 1995. p. 31.
4. Orens, G. (2011). "Beggar on a Beach of Gold – Mike + the Mechanics | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
5. Eddy, Chuck (24 January 1995). "Beggar on a Beach of Gold". Entertainment Weekly.
6. Campbell, Chuck (3 March 1995). "Band Resurrects Hank Williams With A Twist". Knoxville News Sentinel.
7. Mike + the Mechanics UK charts history^{[permanent dead link‍]}, The Official Charts. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
8. "Chartverfolgung / Mike + The Mechanics / Single". Music Line (in German). Germany: Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
9. "Part of Mike and Mechanic's ARIA Albums chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022". ARIA. Retrieved 3 December 2023 – via Imgur.com.
10. "Austriancharts.at – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
14. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
15. "Swedishcharts.com – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
16. "Swisscharts.com – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar On A Beach Of Gold". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
18. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
19. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
20. "British album certifications – Mike & The Mechanics – Beggar on a Beach of Gold". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 December 2020.